Open end slideable jaw wrench



Feb. 28, 1967 B- L. BUTEAU OPEN END SLIDEABLE JAW WRENCH Filed Sept. 5,1965 INVENTOR. BEE/V450 L 56/754 ,47'TOE VEYS.

United States Patent 3,306,142 OPEN END SLIDEABLE JAW WRENCH Bernard L.Buteau, Scotia, N.Y. (5209 Wyoming Road, Glen Echo Heights, Md. 20016)Filed Sept. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 484,943 4 Claims. (Cl. 81179) The presentinvention is related to open-end Wrenches and is more particularlyconcerned with a ratchet type slideable jaw face open end wrench.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide animprovement in open end wrenches whereupon the same will automaticallyadjust to different size nuts, bolts heads and the like and will graspthe nut or bolt head upon which it is being used with an increasingtightness when the wrench is turned in one direction therearound andwill automatically slide around the nut or bolt head in a ratchet typeof operation when the wrench is moved in an opposite direction.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide aratchet type slideable jaw open end wrench which is relativelyeconomical to produce, can be readily and quickly assembled anddisassembled without requiring special tools or knowledge, is adjustablefor use with a wide range of sizes of objects to be gripped thereby andprovides a large bearing surface for grasping said objects to be turned.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a slideable jawface open end wrench having a maximum strength with a minimum overallsize relative thereto, which wrench is capable of developing a desirableratching action while grasping a nut or bolt head either fully withinthe jaws of the wrench or near the outer ends thereof and which wrenchincludes spring means for the slideable jaw tending to move saidslideable jaw Within the wrench head and which is positioned within thehead of the wrench without weakening the same.

Further objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in partpointed out in the following detailed description of the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the present wrench beforeassembly thereof.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the wrench grasping a bolt head forturning the same.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the head portion of the wrench as viewedfrom the opposite side to FIG. 2 and with the slideable jaw partiallyshown in longitudinal section.

And FIG. 5 is a side elevation corresponding to the head portion of thewrench of FIG. 2, but with the slideable jaw positioned as when beingslid around a bolt head or the like in the ratcheting operation of thewrench.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings whereinlike and corresponding parts are designated by similar referencecharacters, numeral 1 indicates the handle of the wrench whose head 2has open end recess 2a defined by fiat fixed jaw face 3, end face 4, end11 of a rib 8 providing a second end face and flat fixed jaw face 6 of asecond fixed jaw 5. Said head 2 has an open end slot defined by flat topface 7, curved rear face and a continuation of jaw face 6 on one side ofrib 8 with a flat top face 70, curved rear face 10a and a continuationof jaw face 6 on the other side of said n'b. Top faces 7 and 7a extendin line with one another as do rear faces 10 and 10a so that rib 8extends along the longitudinal axis of jaw face 6.

Rib 8 has a longitudinal medial slot 9 in which is positioned a pin 12laterally thereof against a coil spring 13 within said slot as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. Jaw face 6,

top faces 7, 7a, and slot 9 extend parallel to one another.

A slideable jaw 14 has a flat bottom 15 of approximately the same lengthas jaw face 6 and an open end longitudinally extending slot 18 providinga pair of links 16 with curved end faces 17. Slot 18 is sized forslideably receiving rib 8 therein with links 16 on each side of said ribslideably mating therewith and their ends 17 are capable of mating withrear faces 10 and 10a. Said links also have flat top faces 19 parallelto flat bottom face 15 with said links being of a heighth so that theirbottom face 15 and top faces 19 will slide along faces 6 and 7, 7::respectively of head 2. Said slideable jaw further has a slantingintermediate face 20 which extends on an obtuse angle to a flat jaw face21 which latter jaw face always extends parallel to fixed jaw face 3.When said slideable jaw is entirely retracted by spring 13 curve end 22of said slideable jaw is contiguous with jaw 5.

Links 16 also have openings 23 extending in line laterally thereof withpin 12 extending through said openings in frictional engagementtherewith or with riveted ends if so desired.

Slideable jaw slot 18 has an end wall 24 which slants in a correspondingmanner to end 11 of rib 8 for abutting and being stopped by the samewhen said slideable jaw is fully retracted by coil spring 13.

Jaw face 6 of jaw 5 and bottom 15 of slideable jaw 14 are positioned soas to form an angle B as shown in FIG. 2 with a line perpendicular tothe parallel jaw faces 3 and 21 such that 0 B 90. Said angle B forexample, can be of approximately 60. A lesser angle B than 60 would tendto improve the range of adjustability of the Wrench, but would reducethe reaction forces tending to force the slideable jaw 14 in its closingdirection has restricting the amount of torque that the wrench couldapply. Conversely, a greater angle B than 60 tends to reduce the rangeof adjustability of the wrench, but increases the forces tending toreduce the distance between the jaw faces 3 and 21 and improves thetorque characteristics of the wrench.

The present wrench when in use had handle 1 grasped by the operatorwhose thumb is used to slide jaw 14 along face 6 against spring 13 toincrease the distance between jaw faces 3 and 21 until the wrench has anobject such as a hexagonal nut A, for example, between said jaw faceswhich nut is to be turned by the wrench. Slideable jaw 14 is thenreleased and automatically retracts under the forces of spring 13bearing against pin 12 and thus the links 16 until further retraction isprevented by jaw face 21 engaging a side of said nut. Thereupon theoperator applies a force on handle 1 in the direction shown by the arrowin FIG. 2 which results in a torque being applied to the nut A. Byreaction, nut A imposes forces on jaw faces 3 and 21 and with respect tojaw 14 these forces can be defined as resultants parallel andperpendicular to the line of motion of said slideable jaw defined by jawface 6 and slideable jaw bottom 15. Under these conditions saidslideable jaw is forced in its closing direction upon said nut causingthe wrench to grip the nut more tightly and permitting additional torqueto be applied thereto.

If the force applied to handle 1 is reversed in the direction of thearrow of FIG. 5 then reaction of the nut A on the slideable jaw 14 willtend to slide slideable jaw 14 against spring 13 to open the distancebetween jaw faces 3 and 21 and precludes any application of torque onnut A at that time thus permitting the wrench to move around said nutwith a ratcheting operation and without turning the nut. Top faces 7, 7aand jaw face 6 will guide said slideable jaw keeping jaw faces 3 and 21parallel at all times. The position of said slideable jaw is determinedby the appropriate extreme diametral dimension of nut A engaging saidslideable jaw. Again reversing the direction on handle 1 will again turnnut A.

The wrench is capable of modification and such changes thereto as comewithin the scope of the appended claims is deemed to be a part of thepresent invention.

I claim:

1. An open end slideable jaw wrench comprising a handle, a head at oneend of said handle having an open end recess defined by a pair of fixedfiat jaw faces extending on an acute angle relative to one another andconnected by end faces, said head having a slot opening into said endrecess and having flat top and bottom faces parallel to one of said jawfaces with said slot bottom face being a continuation of said one ofsaid jaw faces, a rib integral with said head extending longitudinallyof said slot normal to said slot top and bottom faces and having a slotparallel to said first mentioned slot top and bottom faces, said ribhaving an end providing one of said recess end faces, a coil springpositioned in said slot, 21 slideable jaw having a fiat bottom and aflat top end portion slideably mounted between said first mentioned slottop and bottom faces said slideable jaw bottom also being slideablypositioned on said one of said jaw faces, said slideable jaw having anopen end slot in one end portion of said slideable jaw with said ribpositioned in said slideable jaw slot and a fiat jaw face at itsopposite end portion extending parallel to the other of said pair offixed fiat jaw faces and a pin extending through said slideable jaw oneend portion and said rib slot with said coil spring bearing against saidpin and also against said rib adjacent said rib end tending to retainsaid slideable jaw within said recess.

2. An open end slideable jaw wrench as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidslideable jaw has an intermediate face between said slideable jaw flattop end portion and fiat jaw face and extending on an obtuse angle tosaid slideable jaw fiat jaw face.

3. An open end slideable jaw wrench as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidslideable jaw end slot has an end wall corresponding to said rib end forabutting and being stopped thereby.

4. An open end slideable jaw wrench as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidslideable jaw end slot provides a pair of spaced apart parallel linksslideably mating with said rib and said slideable jaw fiat top endportion provides the top faces of said links.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,592,781 5/1952Yauner 81-179 2,983,173 5/1961 Buxton 81-179 3,198,041 8/1965 Davis81179 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S, MEHR, Examiner.

1. AN OPEN END SLIDEABLE JAW WRENCH COMPRISING A HANDLE, A HEAD AT ONEEND OF SAID HANDLE HAVING AN OPEN END RECESS DEFINED BY A PAIR OF FIXEDFLAT JAW FACES EXTENDING ON AN ACUTE ANGLE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER ANDCONNECTED BY END FACES, SAID HEAD HAVING A SLOT OPENING INTO SAID ENDRECESS AND HAVING FLAT TOP AND BOTTOM FACES PARALLEL TO ONE OF SAID JAWFACES WITH SAID SLOT BOTTOM FACE BEING A CONTINUATION OF SAID ONE OFSAID JAW FACES, A RIB INTEGRAL WITH SAID HEAD EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLYOF SAID SLOT NORMAL TO SAID SLOT TOP AND BOTTOM FACES AND HAVING A SLOTPARALLEL TO SAID FIRST MENTIONED SLOT TOP AND BOTTOM FACES, SAID RIBHAVING AN END PROVIDING ONE OF SAID RECESS END FACES, A COIL SPRINGPOSITIONED IN SAID SLOT, A SLIDEABLE JAW HAVING A FLAT BOTTOM AND A FLATTOP END PORTION SLIDEABLY MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID FIRST MENTIONED SLOT TOPAND BOTTOM FACES, SAID SLIDEABLE JAW BOTTOM ALSO BEING SLIDEABLYPOSITIONED ON SAID ONE OF SAID JAW FACES, SAID SLIDEABLE JAW HAVING ANOPEN END SLOT IN ONE END PORTION OF SAID SLIDEABLE JAW WITH SAID RIBPOSITIONED IN SAID SLIDEABLE JAW SLOT AND A FLAT JAW FACE AT ITSOPPOSITE END PORTION EXTENDING PARALLEL TO THE OTHER OF SAID PAIR OFFIXED FLAT JAW FACES AND A PIN EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLIDEABLE JAW ONEEND PORTION AND SAID RIB SLOT WITH SAID COIL SPRING BEARING AGAINST SAIDPIN AND ALSO AGAINST SAID RIB ADJACENT SAID RIB END TENDING TO RETAINSAID SLIDEABLE JAW WITHIN SAID RECESS.